NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Oct 20, 2011) - We're No. 1 again. Con Edison is the "greenest" utility company in the United States, according to Newsweek magazine's 2011 Green Rankings.

The rankings, which can be found at [ www.newsweek.com/green ], were based on the magazine's ratings of a company's environmental impact, environmental management and disclosure. Newsweek developed a "Green Score" for each of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the United States, and Con Edison scored highest among the 30 utilities rated.

The magazine calls its list the most comprehensive rankings of corporate environmental performance.

The honor is the third significant recognition Con Edison has gotten for its environmental performance in recent weeks. The Carbon Disclosure Project placed Con Edison first among utilities in the S&P 500 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. Con Edison also was the only utility listed in the S&P 500 Carbon Performance Leadership Index.

The company was also named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the third straight year. That was based on Con Edison's financial performance, environmental initiatives and social responsibility.

"We consider sustainability and the protection of the environment essential to the quality of life for our customers," said Randolph S. Price, vice president of Environment, Health and Safety at Con Edison. "We take seriously our responsibility to reduce our environmental footprint, and it's heartening to see that independent evaluators recognize our success."

Con Edison's environmental stewardship includes its energy efficiency programs. The company encourages customers to use less -- not more -- energy, and provides rebates for customers to use energy-efficient equipment. More information on Con Edison's energy efficiency programs can be found at [ www.conEd.com/greenteam ], or by calling the "Green Team" at 1-877-870-6118.

The company also noted that its new Newtown substation in Long Island City, Queens earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as a design award from the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

The company reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent since 2005, and expects its carbon footprint to shrink further as it shifts to greater use of natural gas at its steam-generation plants.

Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE: [ ED ]) is one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $13 billion in annual revenues and $36 billion in assets. The company provides a wide range of energy-related products and services to its customers through its two regulated utility subsidiaries and its three competitive energy businesses. For additional financial, operations and customer service information, visit Consolidated Edison, Inc.'s Web site at [ www.conedison.com ].

For financial, operations and customer service information, visit us on the Web at [ www.conEd.com ], at our green site, [ www.coned.com/thepowerofgreen ], or find us on Facebook at Power of Green.